But Patrick, whose budding romance with Stenhouse is taking center stage as the 2013 NASCAR season heats up, admits that she's had to change her musical tastes a bit since she and Stenhouse began dating.

"He definitely likes country, he loves country. I'm more of the modern country kind of girl," Patrick said at NASCAR Media Day Thursday.

Her musical tastes were just one of the odd questions Patrick faced as the majority of queries from reporters focused on her relationship with her new cowboy-hat-wearing boyfriend. One of their first public appearances together as a couple came at a rodeo in early January.

"I like more modern country, he likes a lot of the older stuff," Patrick said. "He probably tolerates some of my music that is a little bit more '90s, and he doesn't like '90s music, and I probably tolerate some of his music.

"He likes '80s before '90s. What? He was barely … he was just a baby then. I don't mind country now, I really don't. I actually really like it. It's some fun music … it's easy, you can understand all the words and tell a little story."

Patrick, 30, and Stenhouse, 26, became friends through racing against each other in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the past three years. Patrick said Stenhouse was one of the few drivers who asked her out.

"I'm too old," she said, joking. "… No … You know, there was some curiosity maybe (from other drivers). … But, I think I scare people."

Patrick, a model and worldwide celebrity thanks to her IndyCar career and racy commercials for sponsor Go Daddy, said she was attracted to Stenhouse because of his sense of humor and a simple connection they felt with each other.

"I just think that we … I feel like I'm on The Bachelorette, we just had a connection. … I think there was just something there," she said. "You end up finding some kind of chemistry with someone and you can't always put it into words what exactly it is, but we just have always enjoyed being around each other.

"I think he's really funny, his jokes are really funny. I just like being around him."

Despite being bombarded with questions about Stenhouse — and few about racing — Patrick said she was comfortable talking about their relationship and her personal life.

"There is definitely going to be a line," she said. "I'm not going to go into details about my private life all the time, but I understand there is a curiosity for this and to be quite honest, it's my life and I've always done everything to my comfort zone level and once it goes beyond that, I just stop.

"So whether it is a photo shoot or talking about my life, these are the things that I draw the line by instinct. I don't think there is anything too serious talked about today. But I'm sure there will come a day when you ask a question I don't want to answer and I'll tell you I don't want to answer it.

"I'm just relaxed. I feel happy and I feel like I am enjoying my life and it makes me smile to talk about it."

Patrick doesn't even mind the ribbing and jokes she is getting from other drivers, including some that were a bit border line.

"I thought the bump-drafting joke was hilarious," Patrick said of a tweet from Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski.